Ethiopia Travel Facts

LOCATION

The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia is located in the Eastern part of Africa, neighboring Eritrea to the north, and Kenya to the south and southwest, Somalia to the east and southeast, Djibouti to the east and the Sudan and south Sudan to the west and northwest. This area is popularly known as the horn of Africa.

LAND

Ethiopia, as large as France and Spain combined, has an area of 1,112,000 sq km. About 65 per cent of the land is arable, with 15 percent presently cultivated.

TOPOGRAPHY

The Ethiopian landscape is dominated by the volcanically formed Abyssinian highlands, a region often but somewhat misleadingly referred as a plateau, since it is in fact dramatically mountainous. The central plateau is isolated in three sides by low lying semi desert or desert, has an average altitude of above 2000m and includes 20 peaks of 4000m or higher. The Ethiopia highlands are bisected by the rift valley, which starts at Red Sea, and then continues through the Denakil Depression, a desert area that contains one of the lowest points on the earth’s surface, and through Ethiopia to Mozambique in southern Africa. This part of the rift valley south of Addis Ababa is notable for its string of seven lakes.

The most extensive mountain ranges on the highlands are the Simien, which lies directly north of the historical town of Gonder and rise to the fourth highest peak in Africa, Ras Deshen, whose height is 4620 meter above sea level. Another significant range is the Bale Mountains, which lie in the southern highlands to the east of the rift valley. The Ethiopia highlands form the source of four major river system, the best known of this is the Blue Nile locally know as Abay, which rises near Lake Tana in the northwestern and supply most of the water that flows in to Egypt’s Nile valley. The Baro and Tekezze rivers feed the White Nile, the river that flows out of Lake Victoria in Uganda to join the Blue Nile at Khartoum in Sudan.  Within Ethiopia the Blue Nile arcs through the highlands south of Lake Tana to form a vast gorge which is comparable in size and depth to Namibia’s Fish River Canyon and the Grand Canyon of USA.

Several other major river systems run through Ethiopia, includes Wabi Shebelle rises from the Bale highlands and courses through the southeast of the country into Somalia. The Omo River rises in the western highlands around Keffa to drain in to Lake Turkana on the Kenyan border. The Awash River rises from the central highland in Showa region near the capital city and then follows the course of the rift valley northwards before disappearing into a series of desert lakes near the Djibouti border.

CLIMATE

The country is found within the tropics 3 degree north to 16-degree north latitude and 33 degree east to 48-degree east longitude. In Ethiopia, there are about four seasons:

• Winter: June, July and August
• Summer: September, October and December
• Spring: January, February and March
• Autumn: April, May and July

As a result, there are three principal climate groups in Ethiopia.

• Tropical Rainy Climate
• Dry Climate
• Warm rainy temperate climate

LANGUAGE

Ethiopia is a multi ethnic state with a great variety of languages spoken in the country, of which there are 83 with 200 dialects. Amharic with its unique Ge’ez alphabets is the official language. English is also widely spoken, other languages Arabic, French and Italian also spoken. Ge’ez is the ancient language, and was introduced as an official written language during the first Axumite kingdom when the Sabeans sought refuge in Axum. The Axumites developed Ge’ez, a unique script derived from the Sabean alphabet, and it is still used by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The Ethiopian languages are divided into four major language groups. These are Semitic, Cushitic, Omotic, and Nilo-Saharan group.

1. Semitic:

The Semitic languages are spoken in northern, central and eastern Ethiopia, mainly in Tigrai, Amhara, Harar and northern part of the Southern Peoples’ State regions. They use the Ge’ez script that is unique to the country, which consists of 33 letters. Each of which denotes 7 characters, making a total of 231 characters.

2. Cushitic:

The Cushitic languages are mostly spoken in central, southern and eastern Ethiopia, mainly in Afar, Oromia and Somali Regions. The Cushitic languages use the Latin alphabet and Ge’ez script.

3. Omotic:

The Omotic languages are predominantly spoken between the lakes of the Southern Rift Valley and the Omo River.

4. NILO SAHARAN:

The Nilo Saharan languages are largely spoken in the western part of the country along the border with Sudan mainly in Gambella and Benshangul Regions.

RELIGION

The main religions in Ethiopia are Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Paganism. Ethiopia is a predominantly Christian country and the majority of Christians are Orthodox Tewahedo Christians, who belong to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. There are a minority of Christians who are Roman Catholic and Protestant. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is headed by a patriarch and is related to the communion of the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Armenian Orthodox Church, the Syrian Orthodox Church and Malankara Orthodox Church of India.

CHRISTIANITY

Christianity began in Ethiopia when two Syrian Christians (Frumentius and Aedissius) came to Aksum and started to tell people about Jesus Christ and the Christian faith. Frumentius and Aedissius influenced King Ezana, who ruled Aksum in the early part of the fourth century, and successfully converted him to Christianity. Immediately after King Ezana converted to Christianity, he officially decreed Christianity as the main faith of his kingdom in 341 AD and ordered Frumentius to go to Alexandria where he was consecrated bishop under the name of Abba Selama by the Patriarch of Alexandria in 346 AD. Frumentius (Abba Selama) then returned to Ethiopia and became the first bishop of Ethiopia and founded the Ethiopian Church. Ethiopia became a powerful Christian kingdom and empire right up to the fifteenth century.

Many Ethiopians claim that the treasurer Eunuch probably introduced the Christian faith when he returned to Ethiopia from his pilgrimage to Jerusalem well before the fourth century, but Christianity did not become the officially recognized religion until the reign of King Ezana in 341 AD. The Eunuch’s pilgrimage is mentioned in the New Testament of the Holy Bible, Acts of the Apostles, chapter 8, and verses 26 – 39:

The Axumite kingdom adopted Judaism and the Law of Moses during the reign of King Menelik, son of King Solomon and Queen of Sheba and then adopted Christianity as main faith in 341 AD. The visit of Queen of Sheba to King Solomon and the pilgrimage by a high official (eunuch) to Jerusalem shortly after the death of Christ shows that the Ethiopians had close connections with the Israelites and Jerusalem. Since then Ethiopia has been observing both Old and New Testament practices.

JUDAISM

Even though, the Aksumite kingdom had accepted the arrival of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, during and after King Ezana, the Ethiopian Jews known as Felashas or Beta Israel refused to accept Christianity and continued to practice their Old Testament faith which they still do today. The population of Felashas (Beta Israel) is concentrated in Northwest Ethiopia, mainly, in Gonder, Gojjam, Wollo and the west of Tigray province. In 1985 and 1991 they almost all were airlifted to Israel but some still live in Ethiopia. This shows that Ethiopia has unbroken tradition of Old Testament and Judaic culture since the time of King Menelik.

ISLAM

Muslim religion was introduced to Ethiopia in 615 AD when the followers of Prophet Mohammed, including his wife sought refuge in Aksum. The king of Aksum welcomed them, respected their religion and offered them protection. They later settled in Negash, east of Tigray, which became the foundation and one of the most important places for the Islamic faith in Ethiopia. Now a day Islam spread to the east and south east of the country mainly in Harar and Somali administrative regions. The Muslim communities are predominated in these regions.

PAGANISM OR INDIGENOUS BELIEFS

Paganism or indigenous religious beliefs are widely practiced in Gambella, Southern Peoples’ State, and Oromia administrative regions. These regions also contain considerable animist communities.

ECONOMY

Agriculture is the rock bed of Ethiopian’s economy; it plays a key role in the development of the nations as well as in the wellbeing of its people. Agriculture employs about 85% of the total population. On other word 90% of the country’s foreign currency generates from export merchandise trade of agricultural products like coffee, oil seeds, pulses, flowers, fruits and vegetables.

Among these agricultural products, Coffee is by far the major source of foreign currency, out of the various products Ethiopia exports, over 60% of the income is generated by coffee alone. Coffee Arabica which originated in Ethiopia has been grown for century’s way before any other part of the world. It is not surprising then, that coffee is the most important commercial crop in Ethiopia, contributing more than 60% of the country’s foreign exchange earning. It is considered that the name coffee is derived from the name “Kaffa”, a district in the western Ethiopia where the bean is believed to have been originated. The word coffee already passed into the English lexicon by the year 1700. The French and Spanish call coffee, café, the Italian caffee, the German kaffe, and the Dutch koffie . . . all the names of coffee are related with the name of its birthplace.

POPULATION

The population is estimated about 90 million, over 50 percent of who are under 20 years old. The average number of inhabitants per square kilometer is 49.

COMMUNICATION

Telephone, Tel fax, Internet, email and postal facilities are available in the country. However, internet and fax services are available in the major cities and towns only. The international dialing code for Ethiopia is +251. The main Airport is Bole International Airport located in Addis Ababa. It has various international connection, Domestic flight are also available to various regions of the country.

The Historical route has a daily flight from Addis Ababa to Bahirdar – Gonder – Axum – Lalibela as well as a daily flight to Dire Dawa (south east). In addition, it has a weekly flight to south (Arbaminch and Jinka) and west part of the country.

Ethiopia drives in the right and a valid international driving license also required to drive. Much of the country is accessible on surface, Taxis and city Buses are available in the town, Overland Ethiopia also provides car rental services.

HEALTH REQUIREMENTS

Medical facilities are available throughout the country, but prior to entry is advisable visitors should be in possession of a valid health certificate for malaria, vaccination against cholera is also required for any person who has visited or been in transited through a cholera infected area within six days prior to arrival in Ethiopia. Malaria is endemic throughout the country, visitors should take a recommended anti malaria medicine, before commencing their journey.

FOOD

The cuisine of Ethiopia is one of the world’s best kept secrets. Ethiopian food is a spicy mix of vegetable and lentil stews and slow simmered meats. This country in East Africa has been called the “Land of Bread and Honey.”  Ethiopia, once known as Abyssinia, is a place of high plateaus and low lying plains. The northern high country is populated mainly by Christians, while the plains are home to Muslims and animists. Dietary restrictions in religions have given rise to a wide variety of both meat and vegetarian dishes. While most Ethiopian cuisine is indigenous, certain ingredients such as red chilies, ginger, and spices have enriched its flavors. Grains like millet, sorghum, wheat and ancient teff form the basic breadstuffs of the diet. Most farming in Ethiopia is subsistence, so the vegetables and animals are often grown and raised at home. The ancient practice of beekeeping produces exquisite honey; it is fermented to make local beverage called Tej, a honey wine.

Ethiopians fashion large pancake like bread called injera, Ethiopia’s staple food, made from the flour of the indigenous grain called Teff, which they place directly on the dining large plate. Other dishes that makeup the meals are portioned onto the injera and diners eat by scooping these portions into rolled up pieces of the injera that they have torn off.  Injera is eating by thick stews called “wat”, the most popular sauce and can be made from meat, vegetables, or beans. Stews are enlivened with the spicy mitin shiro, a flavorful combination of ground beans, spices, and chilies used to season many foods. There is also a meal called kitfo, made from freshly ground raw beef mixed with spiced clarified herbed butter and eating by bread called “Kocho” made from the steam of false banana tree.

Before every meal in Ethiopia, there is a ritual washing of the hands offered by one of the youngest person from the family. The meal is then served on a large platter that is draped with crepe like injera bread. All guests eat from this one platter. Various dishes are portioned out onto the injera, and diners simply tear off a piece of the Injera, use it to scoop up some of the various stews and pop it in their mouths. Extra injera may be served on the side. A local Ethiopians barley beer called tella and a honey wine called Tej finally washes down all this meals and strong coffee is served accompanied by snacks like small fried cookies known as Dabo Kolo and a big enough local bread called “Anbasha” or “Difo Dabo”, and tourists are highly recommended to try the Ethiopian dishes.